Taking a Chance
by dont-stare-at-me
Summary: Arthur was having trouble realizing how he feels about Francis, until a new friend tries to help him. Contains mermaid OCs which I created! and FrUK. Human names used! Trust me, the story is better than it sounds. Rated T for Arthur's colorful vocabulary (rating may change)
1. Do I Love Him?

******YAY~! My first official Hetalia fanfic. Warning: contains FrUK and possibly smut near the end. I don't know :/ We'll just see how this goes. This story contains yaoi, so if ya don't like, then don't read, otherwise you just wasted your time, good sir! So, here's chapter one~!**

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**Chapter One**

I freaking hate Francis Bonnefoy. Yes, that's right: I hate him so bloody much. I kicked a rock into the pond near the Worldwide University, and I angrily watched the water ripple when the object crashed into it. I'm too confused right now, and I'm sure that French son-of-a-bitch is too. I honestly don't know what to think at the moment. My heart seemed to ache in my chest as I glared at my reflection on the water. I'm sick of putting up with him, yet at the same time I want to go back and forgive him. No. I'm sure that my actions were the rational thing to do. I'm not going back in there until he at least apologizes or says something to make me feel better, but I doubt that he would; his actions seemed to be ideal to him.

"Hey, Arthur," I heard a voice call, but I recognize that heavy French accent anywhere. Ignoring him, I marched away from the pond and just left him there.

"Arthur, wait up," I heard Francis call, but I continued to disregard him. That bloody bastard had absolutely no freaking right to do what he did. Suddenly, I felt him grab my arm and pull me back toward him.

"Bloody hell, Francis, let me go!" I growled, and he obeyed, releasing his grip on me. I kept my arm stiffly by my side, and I asked, "What do you want, you frog?"

He smiled deviously as he answered, "I love you, Arthur."

I could feel my face burn, and I shouted, "Shut the hell up and quit screwing with me! I know that this is a joke! Don't you have any idea of how that really makes me feel? And what you did back there was completely uncalled for! I freaking hate you, but at the same time I don't know if I do! Just go away and leave me alone so that I can think!"

My eyes bulged as I realized what I had said just now. I feel as if a weight was slightly lifted off of my shoulders. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it was going to burst any second now.

He frowned and looked at me with a bewildered expression on his face. "What do you mean _you don't know if you hate me_?" he asked, taking a step forward.

I treaded backwards one step, feeling my face growing flushed, and hollered, "Just leave me alone!"

Everyone in the school parking lot turned their gaze toward the loud conversation between Francis and me, and everything fell silent. I can't take this. I hate being the center of attention for the most embarrassing reasons. Without thinking, I pushed Francis away and ran off, but I don't know where my legs would take me. I tripped over what seemed to be a large rock in the middle of the path, and I collapsed face-first onto the ground, my face now covered in dirt. My eyes stung painfully as tears began to flow down my face. Damn this! Why can't I control myself whenever I'm around him? I freaking hate this. I wish he would be less of an ignorant bastard, but I know that even a simple wish couldn't fix that issue. I furiously pounded the ground with dirt-covered fists until they felt sore. I can't believe it, though; once again, Francis Bonnefoy has humiliated me, Arthur Kirkland, but this time, he went too far.

I pulled myself back up, now standing on both of my feet, and I trudged forward. I feel as if nothing could be done to change everything; my boss took away my magic equipment. I'm too confused. I'm even questioning myself as to why I might not hate him. I'm supposed to hate him. We've been enemies since we were children. Why is it that there's that one place in my heart that wants me to forgive him? I can't. My heart says yes, but my mind is telling me otherwise. Now my head was aching as I argued with my own conscience. This is just ridiculous. Why should I be going through this bloody hell right now? I never had this problem before until just now. What am I really thinking? What is it that my brain is trying to tell me? Great, now I'm really confusing myself. I don't even know where I am. All I know is that I'm in the woods and I have no idea where I'm going. I glanced at my wristwatch- 4:30 in the afternoon. Alfred, Ivan, and Yao are probably wondering where I am. If only I knew which way home was. Besides: Alfred is terrible at babysitting Peter.

After what seemed like hours of trudging through God knows where, I finally stopped at what appeared to be a beach. God, I needed some time to think. I sat down on the warm sand and stared wearily at the never-ending ocean. I'm exhausted! Slowly, I felt my back fall onto the ground, and I closed my eyes. My head was pounding, and my chest still ached. Is it because I…_love_ him? Impossible! I hate his very existence! There's no way that I could possibly _love_ him! But…I remember saying how I might not _hate _him. Does that really mean… God, I don't know! I wish that this wasn't so confusing! My aching head managed to distract me from my thoughts, though. I sat up straight and kicked off my shoes. Then, I took off my socks, rolled up my trousers, and wandered towards the calm water. I took a step in the ocean, and I shuddered at its cold touch. Damn, it was bloody freezing! It was weird, though; I've never seen this place when I first enrolled in Worldwide University. I yawned, realizing that I was really tired. The cold water didn't actually wake me up, though. Yet I remained standing in the same spot, thinking, "Do I really love Francis?" I'm starting to think that it was true.

Something in the distance caught my attention, suddenly. Then, it disappeared. I couldn't get a good look at it, though. What was that? Well, whatever it was, it was gone. I lightly kicked the waves with my left foot, but I think I might've accidentally kicked a fish; it felt very scaly. I sighed and turned around, slowly walking back to the dry, sandy ground. Anyway, even if I _did_ love Francis, he wouldn't love me back. If anything, it would only be because he's trying to humiliate me. He's nothing but a mere user. My eyes feel like they're burning again. I quickly wiped the tears away with the back of clenched fists, and let out a painful gasp. I could feel my face grow flushed as a tear quickly rolled down my cheek. I'm such a bloody crybaby. Then, I fell onto my knees and found myself face-first on the ground again. What am I supposed to do to forget about this? Plus, I can't tell him how I really feel, especially after what had just happened. I refused to get back up. I'm too pissed off to even move from that spot. It's his entire damn fault! It's because of him that, whenever he's around, I lack self-control. It's because of him that my face goes completely red out of nowhere and that my knees would feel weak. It's all because of him that I want to punch his God damn face right now!

My fists pounded the ground furiously, and I growled. "Damn you, Francis Bonnefoy!" I hollered, though my voice was somewhat muffled by the sand. I lifted my head, facing a large area of trees, and I groaned. This bloody sucks… Suddenly, I could feel my entire body become sluggish, and my eyelids drooped until they finally closed. Then, I fell asleep.

* * *

Everything seemed so black. Oh yeah, I forgot that my eyes were closed. Weird: I don't even remember falling asleep. My eyelids fluttered open, and I found that I was no longer on warm sand. Instead, I was in a bright blue room, seashells and pearls decorating the rock-like walls. Where the bloody hell am I? I felt something slightly fall down my chest, and I quickly grasped the object. It was only a pearl necklace. That was when I also realized that my shirt and my sweater vest were gone. I don't remember taking them off. Seriously, this isn't funny! What kind of sick prank is this?

Suddenly, I heard voices coming from down the hallway; they were speaking in a language that even I didn't recognize. I tried to get out of the odd-looking bed I was laying in, but I felt like I was running way too slow. Was I underwater? Oh my God, how am I still breathing? I was practically panicking as these questions flooded my mind. The owners of the strange voices seemed to be coming closer to the room. Quickly, I made a mad dash toward the open window in the wall and swam out. My heart pounded in my chest as I felt like something was swimming after me.

"Get away!" I managed to shout. Strangely, my voice didn't seem to be inaudible. My legs kicked harder. The water felt so warm against my bare chest. But then I was grabbed from behind and pulled back, but it didn't feel like someone caught me; _something_ managed to capture me. My legs couldn't kick anymore, and I felt as if they were somehow bonded together. Then, I was dragged into darkness. It was too dark to see anything. I couldn't even move nor could I swim away back to shore. What was it that was helping me survive in this strange environment? Before I blacked out again, an image of Francis was etched into my mind.

* * *

_The room seemed to brighten up as Arthur finally woke up from what sounded like a horrifying nightmare. He was leaning against the wall as he sat on the cold ground. "Where am I?" he asked, looking around anxiously for an answer. Suddenly, he spotted the silhouette of a man, a familiar man. He tried to move from his spot, but his body wouldn't let him. Blue eyes appeared to stand out from the black shadow, and the figure sat in front of the Brit._

_"F…Francis, is that you?" Arthur asked. The shadow placed his index finger on the other's lips and quietly hushed him. He didn't speak, though, and neither did the British blond. The man's silhouette waved his hand once in front of Arthur's confused face, and the word "Yes" appeared between them. Arthur shook his head in disbelief and blinked a few times until he finally noticed "Francis's" color returning to his body and his clothes. The Brit wanted to reach out to gently touch the other's face, but his arms remained trapped behind his back. Francis still didn't speak as he curiously stared at the other blond._

_Arthur closed his eyes tightly and repeatedly muttered, "This is all a dream, it's all a dream…it's all a drea―" The Frenchman lightly kissed the Brit's forehead and slowly began to fade away. "Wait, don't go, I―!"_

_It was too late, though; he was already gone before Arthur could finish. The blond could feel his eyes sting painfully as a few tears bubbled away from his face. He then remembered that he was no longer on land but underwater. He tightly closed his eyes again and prayed, "God, please take me home. I… I need to see Francis."  
A relieving feeling soon overcame him, and his eyes widened as his body began to slowly fade, also. "No! I don't want to disappear!" he cried, struggling to move. That was when the entire room became extremely bright._

And the dream ended…

* * *

Eyelids fluttering open again, I scanned the room exhaustedly. My legs felt so numb that they were at the point of not being able to move. Damn, where am I now? I had such a terrifying dream. But why was Francis there all of a sudden? And… when he kissed my forehead like that… My face felt so hot, even though I was underwater. I'm so bloody pathetic. I growled and finally managed to kick my legs onto the ground, but what I saw nearly made me scream: my legs were no longer where they were supposed to be, but they were replaced by a tail, a fish tail. Oh my God, what in the name of Queen Elizabeth is going on? It felt so weird, not having human legs anymore. Would I ever get them back though? I'm so tired that I can't even think straight. My gaze remained fixated on the bright green scales that appeared on my tail. How did that happen anyway? Then, my thoughts continued to revolve around Francis. Why can't he be here right now to realize what I'm really feeling? I just need to tell him now so that I can get it over with! I… I… I love him. God, just _thinking_ about it hurts my head. But…I don't care…

Damn it, what the hell am I thinking? I think I'm beginning to lose my mind. That's when I heard those voices again, wandering down the hollow hallway. Bloody hell, why can't I move? "Whoever you are, just leave me alone!" I shouted, struggling to move. Damn, my legs feel heavier than ever! I could see their shadows casted on the wall of the cave, and I tried to move faster. Now only one of their voices was heard; the other stranger must've left. But then I saw something very fascinating: it was a mermaid. She was quite beautiful, actually. She had long bright blue hair that fell to her hips, and her green eyes matched her tail, the scales glistening ever so brightly. Her skin was slightly tanned, though it was also somewhat pale. She sported a scar under her left eye, and her waist was slightly bruised. Who was this?

"Um, excuse me, dear," I began, "who are you and why am I here?"

The creature swam down toward me and examined me carefully. Then, she spoke to me in an accent similar to mine: "Are you wizard?"

Her English was a bit broken, but only a dolt wouldn't have been able to understand. "Um, yes, you can say that I am," I answered rather uneasily.

Her bright emerald eyes lit up at my response, and she stated, "I am Kai of Mediterranean Sea. Who are you?"

Well, she didn't seem so harmless after all. "I am Arthur Kirkland of Great Britain," I replied. "Please, do tell me why you brought me here?"

Kai smiled kindly and answered, "It's nice to meet you, Arthur." Then, her expression grew somewhat serious, and she stated, "Kai did not bring Arthur here. It was Cascadia who brought Arthur here."

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who is Cascadia?"

She smiled again and replied, "Cascadia is good friend of Kai's. But Kai doesn't know why Cascadia bring Arthur here."

I finally managed to sit up and face her directly. It's about freaking time that I could move. Putting that aside, I asked, "May I see Cascadia?"

She frowned, looked back at the hallway, and answered, "Cascadia not here at the moment."

I nodded and replied, "Oh, okay then." I frowned and sighed.

Kai eyed me curiously and asked, "Why Arthur look sad?"

I shook my head and replied, "It's nothing, don't worry."

She nodded persistently and retorted, "But Kai want to help Arthur!" Though her voice sounded gentle, she seemed very serious.

Sighing, I finally answered, "I'm having some trouble with a friend of mine." Yeah right; no way can you call Francis my "friend."

She stared at me curiously, as if wanting to know more, and she said persistently, "Go on."

I nodded somewhat uneasily and continued, "Well, my '_friend_' and I got into a fight in school. You know what school is, right?"

She nodded and replied, "It big group of fish, right?"

I laughed weakly and answered, "Um, that's not the school I'm referring to."

She tilted her head to the side and asked, "Then what is _school_?"

I ran my fingers through my hair and stated, "The school that I'm talking about is where people go to learn to get an education." She nodded in understanding, and I resumed my explanation: "Anyway, he managed to embarrass me in front of my entire class, and I got mad at him when he started spreading rumors about him and me, only to make me look like a fool."

Kai nodded, taking in every word, and she asked, "Who Arthur's friend?"

I sighed and answered, "His name is Francis."

She sat beside me and asked, "Why Francis be mean to Arthur?"

I shrugged and stated, "Well, Francis and I have been on bad terms since we were only children. He didn't really like me that much at the time…"

Kai stared at me with concern and asked, "Does Arthur like Francis?"

I didn't answer. My eyes were burning again as tears began to bubble away from my face. Kai stared at me sympathetically and pleaded, "Don't cry, Arthur."

She held me close and let my head rest on her shoulder. "Arthur can't cry. Kai doesn't like to see Arthur cry."

I sighed as a few more tears were forced out of my eyes. "Kai…," I began, trying to maintain a serious voice, though I was failing, actually. "Do you know…what love is like?"

Kai nodded sadly and stated, "Kai used to love a merman named Ren. Kai loved Ren with all her heart, and Ren loved Kai also. But one day…Ren was captured by mean fishermen, and Kai never saw Ren after that." Kai sounded like she was about to cry, but she stayed strong. "Kai still miss Ren with all her heart."

I nodded in understanding and said, "Well, I too love somebody, but it's different from your situation. I… I love Francis. I can't believe I said that, but it's true. I love him so much, but I feared that he didn't love me back."

That was when the mermaid's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Arthur said he was wizard, right?" I nodded, and she suggested, "You still have chance. Kai loved Ren, but Ren is gone. Kai can't let that happen between Arthur and Francis! Kai want to help Arthur with love!"

I stared at her with a puzzled expression, until I decided that maybe she did have a point, even if it might not be the rational thing to do. "All right then," I finally said, and she cheered excitedly.

"Yay!" she cried happily, hugging me tightly around my arms. Damn, she's very sweet, but she's as strong as Alfred. I laughed and hugged her back. I think I just made a new friend.

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**Well, there's Chapter One~! Yes, Kai is my OC, and she represents the Mediterranean Sea, just like the Hetalia characters represent countries. And yes: you may ask to use the OC in your story, and I might grant you permission. However, you can't give the OC to anyone else without having them ask me. I can be a bit strict about stealing and whatever :/ Anyway, Chapter Two will be published soon. Leave lots of reviews~!**


	2. A Deal's a Deal

**Chapter Two is finally completed~! Yay. Prepare to meet two new characters of mine that may seem a bit interesting and important in the story plot. Warning: contains FrUK and possibly smut near the end. I don't know :/ We'll just see how this goes. This story contains yaoi, so if ya don't like, then don't read, otherwise you just wasted your time, good sir! Enjoy! X3**

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**Chapter Two**

"Hello? Cascadia?" Kai called as we wandered into the other mermaid's home.

It was actually very impressive; I never knew that creatures like them were so…civilized. I swam inside behind Kai and saw another mermaid swim down toward us from God knows where; she nearly startled me.

"Arthur, this Cascadia," Kai said, introducing me to the other creature. I held out my hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

Cascadia grabbed my hand and shook it, saying, "It's nice to meet you too, Arthur."

It was weird how her English was more perfected than Kai's. That _was_ odd, but I ignored the thought as Kai asked, "Why Cascadia bring Arthur here?"

Cascadia's eyes changed from its normal violet color to a dark shade of blue as she stated, "You know perfectly well why I brought him here, Kai. I've been observing him for a while now, and that's how I found out that he was powerful in the art of Black Magic."

I'm kind of creeped out by the fact that she was stalking me. Her golden hair seemed to drift out in different angles as she added, "You can see Kai's injuries, yes?"

I nodded, remembering the scar and her bruise. Cascadia continued: "Something is wrong with the Mediterranean Sea, if it's not obvious. These wounds represent the trouble that has been going on over there."

I raised my hand slightly as I asked, "Wait, if she's the Mediterranean, then what are you?"

Cascadia sighed and stated, "I represent the Indian Ocean. Now answer my question: Will you take good care of Kai? Her life depends on it."

I nodded, and she nodded also. "Good; I trust you enough to look out for her."

Kai cheered and hugged me tightly, saying, "Kai is thankful for Arthur's help!"

Cascadia smiled weakly and said, "I know that the authorities from your school took away your equipment to perform Black Magic, so you may stop by here to use mine."

Kai's eyes lit up, and she tugged on Cascadia's arm, saying, "Oh, right! Kai almost forgot! Cascadia! Can Kai and Arthur borrow magic equipment for a while?"

We watched Cascadia until she finally answered, "Go ahead, but don't get into any trouble, Kai."

Kai held her hand to her head in the form of a salute and replied, "No worry! Kai won't do anything bad."

She suddenly grabbed my wrist and said, "Let's go, Arthur; Kai has idea!" Then, she tugged me outside.

"Where are we going this time?" I asked her as I was dragged behind her, and she stared at me with a cunning smile.

"Kai has to put plan in action. Let's go to surface so we can find Francis."

I blushed at the thought and nodded. Whatever she has in mind, it must be strange. Once our heads peaked over the water's surface, I realized how cold it was up here. But then again, it's probably because I've been underwater for so long. Kai turned her gaze toward me and smiled, saying, "When we find Francis, Arthur help Kai create spell to help Francis lose memory of Arthur."

My eyes bulged as I retorted, "But I don't want him to forget me!"

Kai clamped her hand over my mouth and shushed me, explaining, "If Francis forget Arthur, Arthur will start over to become friends with Francis and make Francis fall in love with Arthur. But first, we find Francis."

Kai dove under the water, her tail splashing me with the warm water, and I followed after her. "Wait for me!" I yelled, and I saw her come back up to the surface. Then, I did the same.

She shushed me again and whispered, "Kai hear somebody. Stay quiet." She looked around until she pushed me under and hid with me. "Kai sees someone."

I stared at her curiously and asked, "Who is it? What do they look like?"

She let me look up, and I carefully peered over the ocean's surface. Sure enough, I found Francis sitting on the sand, looking to the distance but not in my direction. "Damn it, look at me," I thought sadly, and Kai came up next to me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Don't be upset," she whispered. "We found Francis, so now we go make spell. But it's very late, so Arthur should get some rest."

I shook my head and said, "Go ahead without me; I just want to be alone for a while."

She nodded and dove back under the water for the night, and I sighed as I turned around to stare at Francis. Why did he look so flustered? I thought maybe he'd be glad that I was gone for a whole day. Maybe I was wrong. I swam a bit closer to him, but he still didn't notice me. Good. I hid behind a large rock that stood out of the water and watched from behind it. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number, holding the device to his ear. Apparently, whoever he called didn't answer.

"Damn it, where is Arthur?" I heard him groan irritably, and he put it back in his pocket.

My eyes widened as I thought, "He wanted to call me? He wanted to know where I disappeared to. I should've just gone home instead of here. But, Kai needed me, and I promised Cascadia that I'd look after her."

I saw Francis lay down on the sand and say, "It's probably my fault that he ran off like that. But why did he have that reaction?"

My head shifted further from behind the rock, and I really wanted to answer him, but I didn't want to ruin Kai's plan.

"Because I love you," I whispered. "That's why I ran off."

As if he heard me, Francis looked up and stared in my direction. I quickly dove under the water and fled from the area. Who am I fooling, though? He wouldn't share the feelings whether he lost his memory or not. Wait a minute… where am I supposed to go? I have no idea where I am! Well this is just great! As if I don't have enough problems already! Maybe I should've gone back with Kai so that I wouldn't be having this issue right now. Too late, though. I sighed.

"You seem lost."

I nearly jumped out of my skin as that unnerving voice responded to my dilemma. I turned around and saw no one there. It was too dark to see anything. "Come closer, dear," the voice cooed, and I swam forward uneasily, carefully feeling the walls so that I wouldn't hurt myself. Damn, haven't these folks ever heard of waterproof flashlights?

The room suddenly flashed brightly… Never mind the flashlight comment… I shielded my eyes with my hands, and the light seemed to die down. "Don't worry, dear, there's no need to cover your eyes anymore."

I'm seriously beginning to freak out. Who the bloody hell was this?

My arms fell to my sides, and I saw something unusual. It was a strange-looking mermaid with well-tanned skin, who had long red hair that fell to her hips and a bright red tail with shining scales that were decorated with what appeared to be diamonds. Her brown eyes stared at me deceitfully as she reached her arm out to caress my cheek. "My, my, aren't you just adorable," she commented in a seductive tone.

There's no way that voice from before belonged to this creature, yet her hand felt cold against my skin, and I returned to reality. "Why did you call me here?" I asked, pushing her arm down.

She smirked deviously and replied, "I see you're having trouble, so I decided to help you out."

She disappeared, and I cringed when she came out from behind me. Still a bit startled, I stuttered, "Y-Y-You were spying on me?"

She giggled eerily as she answered, "You can say that I was. So, I see that you've fallen in love with someone on the land, and, as far as I can tell, you're originally a human, am I right?"

I nodded apprehensively, and she smiled maliciously. "Wait, you never told me who you were!" I pointed out, wearing a stupid grin on my face. God, I'm such a bloody moron sometimes.

She frowned slightly and answered, "The name is Kaita, but I will not reveal any other personal information. So, by any chance, are you in love?"

I blushed furiously and retorted, "T-That's none of your business. Now may I please leave? I don't need any of your help."

She quickly came over to grab my wrist, and her sharp nails cut into my skin. Blood began to dissolve and turn the water around my arm red until it finally faded away. "You might want to rethink that, _Arthur Kirkland_."

"H-How did you know my name?"

She smiled evilly again and replied, "I don't like to repeat myself, so figure that out on your own. Anyway, I also know that that annoying child is helping you."

I frowned and snapped, "Her name is Kai, and she isn't annoying! She's been a good friend to me even though I've only known her for a day."

She raised an eyebrow, and I figured that I've said enough. "Thank you for sharing that thought," she said wickedly, releasing my arm and leaving four deep holes in my skin. "So, if you let me help you with your problem, I promise that I won't hurt Kai," she stated.

It's true that I don't want anything bad to happen to Kai, so… "All right fine," I answered, "but you have to keep your promise."

"Fine. So let Kai help erase your true love's memory, and I will help you with the rest. I'm going to give you back your legs―"

Finally! I thought I wouldn't be able to return to my normal self for a long time!

"―in exchange for your voice."

…Where the bloody hell have I heard this before? I started laughing uneasily and replied, "You're joking right? There's no way that you would want _my_ voice, of all people."

She frowned and stated, "A deal's a deal, so I'll be watching you in case you decide to break _your_ promise."

I growled and yelled, "I never promised anything!"

Suddenly, she disappeared, and something grabbed my neck, pinning me to the wall. What the bloody hell with these creatures and their incredible strength? She appeared from the mist and snarled viciously. "You do what I say, or else I _will_ hurt your precious Francis _and_ Kai."

Shit, she managed to break me. I sighed and replied, "Fine!"

Her grip around my neck tightened, and she threw me to the ground. God damn, that bloody hurts.

* * *

"How did Arthur hurt arm like this?" Kai asked me as she examined the bloody holes in my skin, dabbing it with a cloth.

We were back above the surface sitting on the same rock that I was at earlier. Francis was nowhere in sight, but how Kai managed to find me was beyond me. Back to the question at hand, I answered, "Oh, um, I swam into a blowfish without watching where I was going. How did you know where to find me?"

Kai looked up at me, pushing some of her blue hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear as she replied, "It secret skill that Cascadia teach Kai when Kai was smaller. Yet, Kai can't remember anything before coronation as leader of Mediterranean Sea."

I stared at her curiously as she wrapped the cloth around my wrist, and I asked her, "Not to sound bad-mannered or anything, but how come Cascadia's English is much more accurate than yours?"

Kai tied up the fabric and sighed before answering, "It was long time ago, but Kai still remember. An evil siren named Troya was supposed to become leader of Kai's position, but when Troya found out that Kai would take that role, Troya grew furious and erased half of Kai's memory, along with Kai's knowledge. Kai used to be able to speak in different tongues, like Spanish and Italian, but now Kai can't. All Kai know is broken English and native language of the sea. It hard to regain memory of Kai's past."

I felt so bad for this child. She looked like she was almost fifteen years old, and she couldn't even remember everything from her childhood. It was bad enough that she had to worry about my own problems instead of hers.

"Arthur make that face again," she pointed out, lightly poking my nose with her index finger.

I gently grabbed her wrist and put it back to her side, replying, "What face?"

Kai smiled weakly and answered, "When Kai first met Arthur, Arthur look sad all the time. Arthur should learn to smile."

She grabbed my cheeks and pulled them to the side, which only made it look like I was sporting a stupid grin. "Like that," she advised, and she giggled. She sure is a sweet girl to have in one's own company. Would I ever see her again after all of this is over? I don't even want to think about that right now. I keep getting the feeling that something is watching me from behind, but I ignored it. As far as I know, Kai and I are the only ones here right now.

"Why Arthur stare at ocean like that?" Kai suddenly asked, looking over my shoulder.

I shook my head and answered, "It's nothing." She nodded uneasily and stared at my chest.

"Kai have question for Arthur," she began, further examining me.

I carefully backed away an inch and replied, "What's your question?"

Kai poked my torso and stated, "Cascadia never let Kai out of sight, so Kai only know of mer-people with chest. Why Arthur have no chest?"

Blushing at the awkward question, I answered, "Well, it's hard to explain to someone as sweet as you, but you see, creatures like you with the female gender have different physical characteristics than that of the male gender."

She looked at my chest again and said in awe, "So that why Arthur have no breasts. Because Arthur not female."

She giggled, and then I started laughing with her. Then, our laughter died down, and Kai finally managed to say, "Kai have fun with Arthur. Arthur make Kai feel…much more alive."

I slightly tilted my head to the side and asked, "And why do you say that?"

Kai looked around carefully until she was sure that no one else was here. Then she whispered, "Kai actually over five hundred year old."

She shushed me, and I smiled, whispering back, "Your secret's safe with me."

She giggled and hugged me tight. "Kai miss Arthur when he leave," she said with worry, and I frowned, feeling my hand stroke her bright aqua-colored hair.

"I won't be gone forever," I assured her, but she shook her head.

"What if Arthur forget Kai and never come back? That would make Kai sad just like what happened to Ren."

I held her close and replied, "I promise you that I will never, _ever_ forget you. I always keep my promises."

Kai smiled as she felt safe in my arms. "Arthur actually have nice warm chest even though he lack breasts," she said in a hushed voice, until she slowly drifted off into a deep sleep. Actually, I was growing a bit drowsy also. I might as well sleep now.

* * *

**And there you have it! This chapter may have been a bit shorter than the first, but it took a while to come up with. Again, leave lots of reviews and maybe advice to help improve. I'm always hoping to get better.**


	3. Commencing Our Awkward Plan!

**Finally, I finished the third chapter. May the awkwardness ensue kesesesese... Anyway- Warning: contains FrUK and possibly smut near the end. I don't know :/ We'll just see how this goes. This story contains yaoi, so if ya don't like, then don't read, otherwise you just wasted your time, good sir! I think I've explained that enough times already, so don't make me repeat myself lol So, enjoy chapter three! I will warn you, though: there shall be something very awkward near the end of this chapter. I warned you!**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Kai was gone when I woke up, and I sat up. Sleeping on a large rock is painful, so don't even try it. I yawned and arched my back, hearing a faint _snap_ below my skin. That felt nice. I carefully pulled myself down and pushed myself into the water. I wonder where Kai disappeared to. It's way too quiet out here. I slowly sunk under the warm water and pretended nothing just happened.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed me from behind. "There you are," it hissed, and I swiftly turned around. It was only Kaita. (Is that a good thing or a bad thing?) She smiled wickedly and asked, "Where's your little friend, _Kai_?"

I frowned at her and answered, "I have no idea. Did you do something to her?"

She faked an innocent expression and replied, "Why on earth would I do such a thing?"

I glared and retorted, "Because I can't turn my back without something going wrong. Where is she?"

She shrugged this time and answered, "I don't know. Next time, don't just jump to conclusions, Kirkland."

Damn, she was serious about this. But then what happened to Kai? I hope something bad didn't happen. I was supposed to be looking out for her, and I have no bloody idea of where the hell she went! Cascadia is going to be so freaking pissed when she finds out that I lost her! No, calm down, Arthur. I'm sure that she'll turn up at some point. But where should I look first?

Kaita smiled and suggested, "Why don't I help you out?"

I shook my head and snapped, "Not a chance. I'm not sure if I can trust you."

The redhead frowned and replied, "Fine. But you better hope that the humans didn't get her."

That was offensive! "What exactly are you getting at?" I yelled, and she smirked.

"I just think that most humans are completely arrogant and lack self-control," she replied rather casually, and I just wanted to smash her head into a wall… Okay, I think I know how she understood that.

I sighed and finally stated, "Well, I'm going to go find her. Don't follow me."

She winked at me and replied, "No promises."

I swear to God, I think she's up to no good. I forced myself upwards to the surface and shook the water out of my hair. Everything looks the same as when I left it a few minutes ago, but I saw this girl talking to Francis. She had black hair that fell to her waist and a very slim frame, but she had her back turned towards me, so I couldn't see her face. Who was that French bastard talking to? Well, whatever they were saying, I couldn't seem to hear them. Francis's gaze drifted over the girl's shoulder, and I quickly dove under. I hope he didn't see me. How the hell am I supposed to find out what they were saying? I guess a decent swim around the area could divert my thoughts from the distressing situation I was in. But as I continued to swim around, my eyelids began to droop, and I felt myself fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Arthur woke up in his bed, thinking it was all just a mixed up dream that he had, and he shivered under his blankets. Sitting beside the bed in a wooden rocking chair was Francis, who fell asleep as he waited for the Brit to awaken. The shivering slowly ceased as he glanced at the Frenchman, his arm weakly reaching out to stroke the other's face, but it only revealed painful scars on his skin. The very sight made his body quiver once more. "How did this happen?" he thought. "Kai… Where's Kai?"_

_He looked around his room. Nothing about it had changed, actually. It looked exactly like it did before he left for school, except for the fact that Francis was right next to him. "Why is he here? He doesn't give a damn whether I was gone or not… Was I even gone? Or was this all a perplexing nightmare of mine? What if I'm not even here? What if _this_ was a dream?"_

_Francis's eyelids began to flutter open as a strange girl walked into the room, her face clouded and unclear. "Francis," she whispered, thinking that Arthur was still asleep._

_Francis looked up at the girl and leant forward for a kiss, the black-haired girl kindly giving him one on the lips. Arthur closed his eyes tightly and pulled the blanket over his head._

_"I knew it was all just a stupid game of his!" he hissed. "How could I have been so bloody foolish?"_

* * *

My eyelids fluttered open as they took in the sunlight from over the ocean. Something underneath me felt so soft, like a pillow, and I rolled over, seeing that it was only a small flowerbed as big as I am. I have got to get more sleep; I'm always waking up in the weirdest places. Yet I'm a bit more focused on that girl from earlier. Did she know Francis? If so, what are her relations with him…? Bloody hell, I've turned into one of those insane, jealous types.

Something squirmed below my tail and, in a muffled voice, cried, "Sir, you're crushing me!"

I immediately pulled my body upwards and floated over a young merboy, who looked like he was under there for a while. "My apologies," I replied, my face feeling hot, and he sighed.

"Don't worry about it," he assured me, and then he looked around the area. "You must be new around here, because I don't think I've seen you before."

I shook my head and answered, "No, you haven't. I'm Arthur."

I held out my hand, hoping that he would accept the gesture, and he hesitantly reached out for it, shaking it slightly as he replied, "I'm Hiro, but I'm just visiting this area for a while. I live by the Easter Islands."

This child looked like he was only thirteen, but after discovering Kai's real age, I'm nervous about what his age might be. Oh yeah, speaking of Kai…

"By any chance," I began, "have you seen a mermaid around here with long bright blue hair, green tail, rather tan and pale simultaneously…?"

Hiro held up his hand to stop me and replied, "Yeah, Kai, I've heard of her. No, I haven't seen her lately, though. Hey, can you keep a secret?"

I nodded uneasily, and he whispered into my ear, "Don't tell Kai this, but I think she's cute."

He blushed as he sat back down in the flowerbed. That's rather adorable. Oh young love… "Your secret is safe with me," I assured him, and he smiled.

"Good," he said. "I've only seen her once or twice, but never face-to-face. I just can't seem to gather the courage to actually talk to her. I hear she's very nice and sweet when you really get to know her."

That statement made me think of Francis again, as if our situations were somewhat similar

"Hello? Earth to Arthur," he hummed, and I shook my head frantically.

"Oh, sorry about that," I apologized. "I find myself doing that a lot lately."

Hiro shrugged and replied, "No problem. What are you thinking about?"

His blue eyes sparkled as he watched me curiously, his violet tail swaying side-to-side. "Oh, just this guy that I feel like killing right now, after all the hell he's putting me through, mind my language," I answered, a bit exhausted.

Hiro laughed and replied, "Don't worry; I'm, like, four hundred years old."

Holy shit, I wasn't wrong.

He smirked at my reaction and stated, "Well, I'll let you know if I find Kai. I gotta get going now. See you later!"

Then, he swam off, and all you could see was a white-haired boy in the distance swimming away. What a strange child… It's weird how he reminds me of Alfred.

I continued to search for Kai. It's not like she could've disappeared off the face of the earth or anything. I'm pretty sure that Kaita could've done something to her, but after that argument, I'm starting to think otherwise. Hiro said he'd help me out, so I can trust him. There's no way I can ask Cascadia for help; I don't feel like getting executed for the ceased existence of the Mediterranean Sea. What the bloody hell am I supposed to do now?

"Arthur, Kai finally found you!"

My eyes lit up as I turned around in surprise. "Kai, I've been going crazy looking for you!" I yelled worriedly. "Where have you been?"

Kai blushed and replied, "Kai had to go talk to somebody. Kai didn't think Arthur would be mad. Sorry."

I sighed and muttered, "It's all right. As long as you didn't get hurt or anything." Then, curiously, I asked her, "Who did you need to speak to?"

Kai replied rather straightforwardly, "Just a friend of Kai. It was important."

Still curious, I asked, "What did you need to tell your friend?"

She shook her head and shushed me, answering, "Top secret. Only Kai can know."

I ran my fingers through my hair exhaustedly. I freaked out for nothing, as always. Then, Kai smiled and added, "So, is Arthur ready for plan? Kai memorize spell."

Remembering my agreement with Kaita, I nodded uneasily, and she smiled excitedly. "Great! Let's go!"

Then, she pulled me along with her.

* * *

We were just ten feet below the surface, and we could see Francis sitting on the sand once again. I guess there's no turning back now. I felt an eerie disturbance behind us, and I assumed it was Kaita preparing to bring our plan into action. Suddenly Kai warned, "Just to let Arthur know, other people that know Arthur lose memory too. Kai forgot to mention that earlier."

My eyes bulged, and I felt like ramming my head into a brick wall. But it was too late to cancel our plan; otherwise, Kaita was going to hurt Kai and Francis. I obviously had no choice now. Kai closed her eyes and began to speak something in her native language.

After five minutes of mumbling, something flashed, and next thing I knew, I was losing my breath. My bare legs kicked as hard as they could before I could drown. Kai watched me swim up in shock, probably not expecting my legs to return to their natural form. My head ached, and my heart began to pound faster beneath my chest. Bloody hell, what am I supposed to do? I had absolutely no clothes on, I can't even speak, and how the hell am I supposed to figure out when this will wear off? My head broke through the water's surface, and I coughed roughly, trying to catch my breath.

Francis's head perked up as he called, "You there, are you all right?"

He suddenly rushed over to me and grabbed my arm to pull me out. No, no, no! This is just embarrassing!

His face burned red as he laid me on the sand, but I couldn't care less anymore. I just needed some air. I breathed heavily through my mouth until my lungs were functioning perfectly once more. My eyelids drooped as I relaxed myself. Francis eyed me curiously and asked, "Are you okay?"

I opened my mouth to answer him, yet no sound came out. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Can't speak?"

I nodded with embarrassment, and he smirked. "That's too bad. Anyway, I should probably go find something for you to wear. You can't stay like that forever―" then I heard him mumble to himself, "―even though that's perfectly fine with me if you did."

My face burned red as I lunged to grab his throat, and he nearly freaked out as I had him pinned to the ground. His face was priceless! I started snickering… Well, it was more of a quiet snicker actually. He then smirked and said, "Ah, so that's how it's gonna be, is it?"

He suddenly grabbed me by the arms and pulled me down onto him. Oh my God, this is just mortifying. I began to struggle to get away, but damn he was strong. I think he noticed that, and he finally let me go, saying, "Just teasing you. Don't worry; it won't happen again."

He then crawled away from underneath me, and I sighed. "Stay here, okay?" he said as he stopped to look at me. "I'm going to go fetch you some clothes."

I nodded and just remained motionless on the sand, waiting for him to come back. I'm beginning to hate this, but I can't give up now.

* * *

**That's it for now. There's your awkward moment (bring on the fangirl squeals and all that lol). Chapter four shall be up soon, and once again, if you want to borrow my OCs for your own fanfic, just let me know :) but remember what I told you about stealing!**


	4. Drastic Change in Plans

**Chapter four is done. Yay...I think. Well, if you read the rest of this, you would realize why I gave this chapter the title that I gave it :/ Also, I don't feel like repeating the warning, so try to get it in your head in case you forgot it lol**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Next thing I knew, I found myself sitting on his couch in the living room wearing only his boxers and a bright blue dress shirt, but the sleeves were too long. Will I ever grow taller one day? Either way, wearing _his_ clothes felt so weird that it was awkward. I fell onto my back, my body lying on the sofa exhaustedly as I stared at the ceiling out of pure boredom. I have no idea where he went now, so there isn't anything better to do. I didn't feel like walking around either, since my legs felt weak every time I stood on them. That's why he carried me on his back and refused to let me walk along beside him. I didn't care if I stumbled repeatedly and hurt myself on the way here, but it was rather considerate of him. I've never actually seen him act so kindly towards me before. It was scary, now that I think about it. Maybe this was just selfish of me to put the both of us through this mess, especially Kai. Actually, I wonder how she would go on if I were to spend most of my time up here without her. Maybe I should visit her later tonight, though I doubt that my tail would appear if I were to go back into the ocean.

I could hear the door open from down the hallway, and it slammed shut, followed by the sound of keys clanking and Francis's voice call, "I'm back."

The upper half of my body pulled itself upward as I leant against the arm of the couch. He held a sketchpad in his hand and a pen in the other. I think I know what that's for. He placed the pad on my lap and the pen in my hand. "I thought that, since you can't speak, it would be easier to communicate if you wrote what you wanted to say," he suggested, and I nodded in agreement. It wasn't an absurd idea, for once, so I'll go along with it.

I flipped open the sketchpad to the first page, pen held firmly in hand, and he asked me, "Where are you from?"

I began to neatly write the word "Britain" on the paper in small letters, not wanting to waste any paper. I showed him what I wrote, and he nodded with interest.

"Strange," he began, "I think I once knew somebody from there, but I can't recall who it was."

The way he said it made me think he was hiding something, but I'll take care of that later. In fact, I'm rather tired right now, so I shifted on the couch and lied on my side. I grabbed the pen and sketchpad and wrote down "I'm going to get some rest." I handed him the object, and he held it in front of his view.

After reading it, he stated, "But I haven't even asked you for your name yet."

That's too bad, but right now, I just needed a break for a while. My eyes closed, and I thought that I'd be able to get some actual sleep for once. However, my eyes quickly snapped open as I felt a pair of lips kiss the side of my head, whispering, "Sweet dreams."

God, my face felt hot, but exhaustion took over my body, and I fell into a sweet, blissful slumber.

* * *

_The area was pitch-black, nothing in sight, and the place echoed with unclear voices. "You actually tricked him into thinking that?" a hateful voice yelled, and a gentle voice retorted, "It was for good cause! It was only way to help them!"_

_The deeper voice growled, and there was a loud smack. "You seriously thought that that was a good idea?" she roared, and another voice belonging to a young boy hollered, "You leave her alone! She was only trying to help our friend!"_

_The fearful voice of the girl cried, "Get out or bad things happen!"_

_The boy's voice seemed angered as he yelled, "I'm not leaving your side until I know you're safe!"_

_There was a wicked laughter before the more matured voice stated, "I'll take care of you later, shrimp. I've got more important matters to worry about."_

_The girl's voice trembled as she wailed, "Don't hurt them!"_

_Yet the woman continued to laugh. "Oh don't worry," she replied maliciously, "I'm not hurting anybody."_

_The boy asked, "What do you want with them?"_

_There was a brief silence before the woman answered, "You know the man that you dragged into your little scheme? I'll take care of your little friend, and then his lover will be mine."_

_The boy retorted, "You can't be serious. You actually fell in love with him?"_

_The woman growled as she ordered, "Don't try to stop me; otherwise, both of you will cease to exist."_

_There was a bright flash, and then the darkness filled the room again._

_"Oh no," the girl whimpered. "Something bad definitely going to happen."_

_The boy replied, "We have to stop her before it's too late."_

* * *

My eyelids snapped open as I jolted upwards on the couch. My forehead and the palms of my hands were covered in sweat. Francis wasn't in the room. Looking at the clock that hung on the wall, I noticed that it was eight pm. I carefully swung my legs over the edge of the sofa and got up, my legs twitching slightly until they finally calmed. I took one step until I suddenly fell flat on my face, or as Alfred would call it, "_The wrong way to plank_." I honestly have no idea where he gets those ideas from, but whatever. Quietly, I stood back up and carefully walked towards the door. I hope Francis wasn't home, but I left anyway. I had to go see Kai.

It was very convenient that the beach was nearby. I stood in front of the waves and waited for a sign of her presence. I sat down on the sand and ran my fingers through my hair, a sigh escaping from my mouth. I hope nothing bad happened to her while I was away for the past few hours. Yet, while I was thinking that, a green tail shot upward from the waves and disappeared. It has to be Kai. I crawled forward, my hands feeling the cool water, and I reached outward with my right arm. A hand grasped my own, and Kai's head ascended from the water. Her left cheek was completely red though. I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Does Kai know about my deal with Kaita?

Kai stared at me curiously and asked, "Why Arthur no speak?"

I pointed to my throat and made a hand gesture that told her "no."

She nodded in understanding and asked, "How did this happen?"

I honestly don't feel like getting sucked into a game of charades, so I shrugged. I didn't want to lie, but it was for her own good. My index finger made its way to her left cheek and poked it, making her cringe slightly. I pulled my hand away from her, and she stated, "Kai got hurt, but it no big deal. Kai feel better."

I nodded, not wanting to invade her privacy. At least she was safe, and that's all that matters.

Another head suddenly poked up from the waves, and I noticed that it was only Hiro. Hiro stared at me with relief as he said, "Glad to see you buddy."

Kai gazed at him and explained, "Arthur can't speak."

Hiro's eyes bulged as he returned his gaze toward me. "Dude, what happened?" he cried, and I sighed.

Then, an idea hit me, kind of like that star that randomly crashed into my head that one time, but this isn't literal or painful. With my index finger, I formed letters on the sand, and they watched my hand move around with their utmost attention. Though I didn't want to lie to them, I had to. Then, the words formed the sentence "I don't know how it happened." I hoped they could read English, but by the looks on their faces, I could tell that they could.

"That sucks, man," Hiro commented, and I smirked. He really does remind me of Alfred. They'd probably get along so well.

Hiro thought for a moment until he finally exclaimed, "I say we go find a way to help get him his voice back after we―!"

Kai clamped his mouth shut with her hand and shushed him. "Hiro, shush!" she hissed, and he nodded, gently pulling her arm down.

Do they know something that I don't? Well, whatever it was, I'm sure it can wait. I bet old Francey-Pants is wondering where I went, so I should probably get going. I remember where his house is.

I stood up weakly, and Kai asked, "Where Arthur going?"

I crouched down and wrote in the sand "I'm going back to Francis's house."

She nodded and waved to me as she went further back in the ocean. "Bye Arthur," she called, and she dove under, followed by Hiro. For some reason, I'm beginning to think of those two as family; we've been close for such a short time.

Anyway, I really should get going. God knows what will happen if Francis sees that I'm not there. The sun was beginning to disappear behind dark clouds, and something wet dripped onto the bridge of my nose. Looking up, I saw a few drops of water fall from the sky, gradually becoming a heavy downpour of rain. Shit! I had to get out of here before I get soaked. Stumbling along the way, I ran off toward Francis's house. It's freezing out here! Wet sand began to stick to the bottom of my bare feet, and it felt weird, but I didn't give a bloody damn right now. I can imagine what Francis would say the minute I step into that house. _Goodness, you're all wet mon cher! Being the perverted frog that I am, why don't I help you out of those clothes?_ …Okay, that last one started giving me dirty ideas, and I shivered. But it wasn't because of the freezing rain that pelted me; it was the very thought of actually _doing_ _it_ with… Oh good God no! What the bloody hell am I thinking? He doesn't even remember who I am, so that makes it even more awkward than it already is!

That's when I had suddenly fallen face-first onto the sand, not even realizing where I was even going. In fact, this doesn't even look like the same area I passed to find my way to see Kai. Damn it, I hate getting lost! Some girl passed me from behind and glanced at me, a mischievous grin displayed on her face as she watched me with cold gray eyes. Her short auburn hair didn't even look soaked! Who was this? She snickered as she turned her gaze away from me and continued walking away. What was she up to, and why was she grinning at me like that? That girl looked like nothing but trouble, if you ask me. I pushed myself back up and let a faint grunt escape passed my lips. My legs kicked as I began to run forward at a quicker speed. I don't know why this motivated me to run faster, but I didn't want to stop.

* * *

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to find my way back to Francis's house. I hope he isn't freaking out over where I went, because then it would all just turn into a one-sided argument, or whatever you call a dispute in which only one person is yelling and the other can't. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked five more times and waited there, standing on the doormat in the cold rain. I can't even tell how long I've been gone, but it was too dark to even understand if it was already late at night.

Finally, the door opened, and I came face-to-face with Francis. He just stared at me and asked, "Can I help you?"

I could feel my left eye twitch. Not this again! I ran my fingers through my wet hair and then pointed to my throat, shaking my head to indicate that I couldn't talk.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you? Mute? And why are you wearing my clothes? Did you break into my house?"

What the hell was going on? I thought he already knew this!

Then, he sighed and stated, "Listen, I'm sorry, but I cannot help you right now. I have more important matters to deal with, so please leave."

He closed the door on me, and I heard the bolt click. I can't believe he's locking me out of the house in the middle of a fucking rainstorm! I can't fucking believe this! I pounded at the door with balled fists until they felt sore, and I sank to the ground. I've never felt so angry in my life; I managed to let it all out on that door. There were even small indentations in its wooden surface. Francis might kill me for ruining his door, but I don't give a bloody damn at the moment! I'm going to catch bloody fucking pneumonia out here thanks to him and his self-centeredness! I can't believe I put so much faith into this plan, but then again this wouldn't be happening if _I_ weren't so selfish. And yet…I knew that there would be an obstacle along the way. I just didn't think that it would come to this. This is my punishment for being too stupid and greedy, I guess.

I sneezed, but it only sounded like air. When can I get my voice back? When can I get my normal life back? I don't care if it means that Francis will never love me back. I just want it to be like the old days when we at least managed to get along sometimes. Just thinking about it made my eyes sting and my throat ache. There was a painful feeling in my chest. I couldn't tell if it was a raindrop or a tear rolling down my cheek, but it didn't matter anymore.

Lightning flashed in front of my eyes, and thunder cracked. I held my knees close to my chest and hugged them tightly. I'm freezing out here. I thought I was going to get the hell out of this weather, but I'm stuck out here to suffer in it. Rain had already soaked through the clothing I was wearing. Without thinking, I buried my nose into the fabric that covered my arm, and I sniffed it as if it would give me life. It smelled like wine and cigars…just like Francis. As creepy as it sounded, I don't want to lose the scent. It was really all I had left at this point. It's sad, I know, but I don't give a bloody damn. I still love him too much, even though the smart thing to do right now would be to give up. The loud roar of thunder caused my train of thought to crash, and I nearly jumped out of my skin at the very sound of it.

The auburn-haired girl from minutes ago stood a mile away from where I sat. I just noticed her presence at this very moment, but what really caught my attention was that her eyes were a blinding, bright red color.

* * *

**OMG A TWIST! Dun-dun-DUUUUUNNN! lol Don't worry though, because something epic will soon come out of this. Yep, anyway, chapter five will be up soon, and pm me or whatever to get back to work on my other fanfic. I've been getting major writer's block while coming up with ideas, but I will not give up on finishing it! *does a superhero pose* lol But ya, until next time! *thunder cracks* oh Jesus, I just scared myself lol**


	5. Missing

**I'm still alive! Sorry for the late update. This is probably gonna be a pretty short chapter, but I tried. I don't care though. I'm not giving up on this story! (I'm not giving up on ****_Stranded_**** either!) If, by any chance, you have suggestions for the next chapter of this fanfic and ****_Stranded_****, then please pm me! I hate writer's block with a burning passion DX So, I guess it's time to start reading. Sorry for wasting your time, and please enjoy this short chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Everything appeared to be so dark for what seemed like five minutes. Opening my eyes, I noticed that the girl was gone. The atmosphere grew colder, and rain poured harder. I sneezed.

Suddenly, I saw a boy with bright blond hair hurry up to me and cry, "Arthur, come on!"

He pulled me by my arm, and I stumbled behind him as he led me to God knows where. How did this boy know my name? Maybe I did know him, because I didn't really get a good look at his face, but having him pull me along like this made me feel uneasy.

I was dragged into a cave-like structure, where a fire was already warm and burning. The boy helped me sit back down by the flames, and he sat across from me on the other side. His face… He had these bright blue eyes that reminded me of a calm sky, and his skin wasn't very tan, nor was it very pale.

"It's me," he said, "Hiro."

I mentally face-palmed for not noticing the resemblance, and he laughed.

"It's okay," he assured me. "This is only my human form, so it doesn't matter if you didn't recognize me. Have you gotten your voice back?"

I shook my head, and he groaned.

"Aw, that must suck. Anyway, we have bigger problems to worry about. Has Kai ever told you about that crazy old bat Troya?"

I nodded nervously, and he continued: "After hiding for the last hundreds of years, she's finally decided to show her ugly face―" he made some weird monster noises and crazy faces, "―and now she's after Francis and Kai!"

That's when it all came crashing down on me. That dream I had…

_"Something bad definitely going to happen."_

_"We have to stop her before it's too late."_

Those voices belonged to Kai and Hiro. But then who was that other voice?

"Earth to Artie," Hiro sang, waving his hand in front of my face to get my attention.

After blinking a few times, I lost my train of thought and shook my head roughly. Then I let out a loud sneeze.

"Damn, how long have you been out there?" he asked me. "You might've gotten a cold or something."

I sniffed, and he sighed, admitting, "I saw what happened back there with your friend. I'm sorry about how things turned out. And Cascadia is gonna be so-o pissed off when she finds out that her adopted daughter is in total danger, along with, um, Francis, I think his name was. But she's gonna be extremely mad when she discovers that Troya's back to claim the Mediterranean. That was so long ago! She should be over that by now."

I assumed that he knew the history between Troya and Kai.

"We have to find Kai before serious shit hits the fan."

As strange as that warning sounded, he was right. But what was I supposed to do now? I'm just an average college student. The only magic equipment that I had―gone, and there's no way that Cascadia would let me borrow hers once she finds out that I was irresponsible enough to let Kai get into trouble. Basically, I have no powers. Where were we supposed to turn now?

Hiro noticed the troubled look on my face, and he assured me, "Calm down. I'm sure we'll think of something. It's already one in the morning, surprisingly, so I think maybe we should just call it a day. When we wake up, we'll look for her and end this whole fiasco."

I nodded and leant back against the wall, letting out a sigh as I ran my fingers through my soaked hair.

"Just promise one thing," Hiro added, and I looked up at him. "Don't masturbate when I'm not looking, because then things will get way too awkward."

I grabbed the nearest object close to me (a stick, in this case) and threw it at his head, missing him by a few centimeters.

He started laughing and saying, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But seriously, don't do that."

Blushing, I lay on my side and stared at the wall, my back facing him as I glared at my shadow. I just hope I don't get into an argument with myself, after all the bloody shit I just went through with that French bastard. But what was with his sudden change in attitude? Why did he forget me again? Did something wrong happen? He didn't act so coldly to me before I left to see Kai. It was then that I felt my eyelids close slowly, and darkness returned.

* * *

_A ticking noise sounded in the pitch black area as a shadow of black dimmed the sunlight. Arthur was running fast down a long street, running as if something deadly was chasing him from behind. The ticking noise gradually became louder in sound every ten steps, and the ground felt like it was shaking. Looking up as he ran, he saw a huge circle in the dark sky, but it was neither the moon nor the sun. It was a huge clock, Big Ben, but the arms were moving counterclockwise, and time reversed. His pace began to unintentionally slow down, and he felt like he was going to freeze in his spot. A loud ringing pierced his ears, and his face grew redder, eyes flooding with tears as his arm reached out toward the silhouette standing in front of the fading clock tower. A bell echoed in the darkness, and his knees grew weaker as he slowly collapsed to the ground. The shadow figure turned around to face him, and its color began to appear, revealing the image of Francis._

_However, a voice yelled, "It's a trap!" and Francis turned his head around, fading away with all source of light. Arthur felt something tighten in his ribcage, and he was beginning to lose his breath. He clutched his chest, feeling his heart pounding harder until it finally stopped._

_There was a wicked laughter, and another voice said, "Your time is up."_

_Yet he didn't die. Light flashed brightly in his eyes, and he watched a short blond boy walk forward from behind him. His hair was ruffled and dirty, and he wore a black cloak over his shoulders, sporting a white gown underneath. The boy's green eyes never looked toward Arthur as he hurried into the distance, pace growing quicker as he ran into the arms of a young woman, who had long golden blonde hair and green eyes like his. The woman laughed as she held the boy, and the smaller blond was laughing also. But suddenly, the woman faded into thin air, and the boy's eyes sparkled with tears. Another boy appeared in the Brit's view, a teenage boy with blond hair tied into a ponytail, and he chased the younger boy away, the younger blond vanishing from his sight. A young girl walked toward the remaining child and placed her hand on his shoulder, short, dark golden locks bouncing excitedly as she pulled the boy into a friendly hug. The blue-eyed blond laughed as they playfully danced in front of Arthur, not noticing his presence. Then, a bright fire blazed where the girl stood, and when it disappeared, she was gone. The boy seemed to have grown older and taller, close to his adult years. He looked like he was about to cry, until his expression grew more serious, and the younger boy from earlier came into the scene, appearing older as well. The blue-eyed man growled and grasped the shorter male's throat, while the green-eyed blond pulled the other's hair._

_Suddenly, the older man disappeared, and the remaining blond fell to the ground, slowly growing weaker in appearance, until he finally died, lying in the same position as Arthur. The man turned to dust and was blown away with the wind._

_It was then that Arthur realized that he had just come face-to-face with the summary of his life, and his eyelids began to close._

_"It was such a shame that it all had to come to this," the voice stated, "but where there is a beginning, there is always an end. Sweet dreams, Arthur. You had a good run."_

_A girl with black hair that fell to her waist walked toward his dead body and crouched down in front of him. She placed her hand on his cold head, and her eyes stung with tears as she whispered, "I'm sorry for putting you through all of this Arthur. You really did change my life. I'm sorry…"_

* * *

My heart pounded faster beneath my chest, this being the reason why my dream came to an end. My eyelids quickly snapped open, and I shot upward in my spot, my gaze darting around the area. It was the same as it appeared before I fell asleep, except for the fire that had died probably hours ago. Hiro was still in the corner resting. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon.

"Arthur!" a faint voice cried, and I looked over my shoulder. A young fairy with short brown hair and transparent blue wings flew forward in my direction, and I smiled.

"Oh, hello there, young one," I wanted to say, though it was impossible in my condition, and she circled around my head a few times before sitting in front of me.

"I bring a message from Cascadia," she stated in her calm voice.

How does she know Cascadia? Well, that doesn't matter right now.

"She demands that you bring Princess Kai back home immediately. She is to be crowned the official queen of the Mediterranean Sea, and it is _very important_ that she is there."

Oh crap.

The fairy must've noticed the frustrated look on my face, since she asked, "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. There has to be some way to communicate with her, due to the fact that there isn't much sand in this cave. Besides, she might know how to help me find Kai's location.

Suddenly, she said, "I think I might know a way to help you speak without actually using your voice."

Reaching into the pouch attached to the belt around her tiny waist, she pulled out a piece of chalk the size of my thumb. …I just had a major Mary Poppins moment…

She placed the object in my hand, and I wrote on the wall "Unfortunately, I do not know where Kai is, and her friend and I are trying to find out where she disappeared to. Are you able to find out where she might have gone?"

The fairy stopped to think, judging by the look on her face, and she answered, "I might be able to, but I can't guarantee that I'll actually find the coordinates of her location."

Closing her eyes, she paused for a moment, and her body suddenly shuddered.

"Oh no…" she muttered, and I stared at her curiously. "I'm afraid she's in big trouble," she stated. "What shall I tell Cascadia? Or, judging by the look on your face before, I shouldn't inform her, should I?"

I nodded, and she must've understood that I agreed to that last option.

"Then yes, I might be able to help you find Kai, but we must be quick. Wake up your friend. We must leave now before something serious happens."

Suddenly, she disappeared, and a voice quietly said, "I'm still here, but I must be careful not to be seen by the sirens, though my magic alone cannot stop them from harming us. The sirens and Troya herself are the only obstacles that prevent Kai from escaping. I'll try my hardest to protect all of us from the enemy."

Her voice echoed in my head repeatedly until it finally died down and stopped. I turned around and hurried toward Hiro's side, nudging his arm roughly.

His eyelids opened, and he groaned, "Whoa, whoa, what the hell is going on?"

The piece of chalk still in my hand, I wrote on the wall beside him "I know a way to find Kai. We have to leave now."

Probably understanding how serious the situation was, he sat up straight and yelled, "Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way!"

* * *

**Yeah, that's where I'll stop for now. Chapter Six is definitely gonna be a pain in my arse to finish... Yeah. I'm beginning to think there won't be a lot of chapters in here. Will there be smut? I'm beginning to think that there might not be, since people under the age limit will still report this fanfic even though I change the rating to M. That, and the fact that I fail at writing the smexy parts :/ So, please keep reading! The next chapter might be more interesting (and maybe longer) than this one!**

**PS- I know that this probably could have been better, but I've been listening to so much music while writing this that it probably screwed my brain up.**


	6. Guilt

**OMG NO I DID NOT DIE! I just realized how long it's been, and with all of my homework and shit getting in the way, it's hard to keep track of these things, so please don't hate me for the long delay! Well, since it was three in the morning, and I was still on my computer, I figured I'd finish this chapter now. So, I know it was kind of rushed at the end and all that crap, so it probably won't be that great, but, you know, I tried!**

**So, without further ado, I give you Chapter Six!**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

How did we end up in this situation? This one question in particular circled my mind over and over as I sat on the ground, tied up to Hiro so that our backs were connected to each other. Our aquatic forms seemed to have returned (oh, how I didn't miss it…), and we were locked in a cell somewhere dark and cold. Hiro continued to struggle and grunt from behind me, until I felt my back grow sore from his fidgeting.

"Will you stop moving around already?" I thought, referring to the squirming child behind me. "At this rate, my back is going to have a hunch if you keep it up."

However, my prayers weren't acknowledged, and Hiro shouted, "I can't believe that bitch managed to capture us!"

His struggling became a bit rougher, and I pushed him with my back, grunting slightly in pain. Then, he finally stopped and said, "Sorry, I'm just a little ticked off right now. Your fairy friend was right, though; those sirens are too strong for us."

I nodded in agreement, until a curious Hiro randomly asked, "Hey, I was wondering… do you ever trim your eyebrows?"

I shoved him again, and he whined, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"

Yeah, first time someone's asked me that question before… I hope they let us out soon. It's like living with Alfred all over again…

Suddenly, a young siren with fiery orange skin swam toward the cell door, and she said something in some strange language that I couldn't really understand. However, Hiro seemed to know what she said, and he answered in the same tongue. I just sat there in confusion as the two of them argued back and forth, until finally, they stopped, and the siren pulled out a set of keys. I stared at Hiro and raised an eyebrow.

He smirked and answered, "Oh yeah, you're still new to our language. Well, basically, she stated that Troya requested that we'd be sent to her now. I said it was about damn time, and then she said something about us being pathetic little trolls or something like that… But I think you understand the rest of the conversation from that point."

I nodded uneasily, and suddenly, two more sirens with identical appearances to the first one swam into the cell and dragged us by our confinements.

"Hey, hey, watch it!" Hiro yelled. "I might have a tail right now, but you're seriously scraping up my ass here!"

Finally, we were dragged and placed in front of a large, elegant throne decorated with garnets, pearls, and gold. Sitting in said throne was— Holy shit, it's Kaita! She seemed to smirk down at me in particular and say, "Well, Arthur, it's been such a long while since I've seen your face."

Hiro stared at me as if I had betrayed him, and he asked, "You two already know each other?"

The red-haired siren laughed and answered, "Well, it's no fun having an argument if you won't answer back to my insults, so I might as well offer you your voice."

Suddenly, I felt a burning sensation in my throat, and I started coughing wildly until I finally managed to calm down.

"The only reason why I wanted it to begin with was so that you wouldn't go talking about our little deal, or, my little trap, if you would like to call it that. That just proves that I don't trust you as much as you didn't trust me."

Hiro's expression changed to a look of misunderstanding as he asked, "Deal? Arthur, what is she talking about?"

I sighed, not seeing how it mattered anymore, and, finally, I answered: "I don't see how it matters anymore, so I might as well just come out with it. She promised to give me my legs back if I gave her my voice, and after that meeting, she wanted no one to know of our promise or else she'd hurt Kai and Francis. Wait a minute, I almost forgot!"

I glared at Kaita and yelled, "What did you do to Kai?"

She frowned and replied, "Like I'd tell you."

Then, I heard Hiro make uneasy sounds from behind me, and he said, "Um, Artie, while we're on the subject of confessions, there's something that I need to tell _you_, now. How do I put this…? Kai never really erased Francis's memory! Please don't kill me!"

My eyes bulged in shock, anger, and pure frustration, and I yelled, "What?!"

Hiro cringed and cried, "Well, she kinda told me that after you had already gone up to see him! But hey, look at the bright side: at least we know that he returned the feeling before Troya erased his memory for real—Oh shit!"

My glare was directed to Kaita again, and I shouted, "You _what_?!"

The redhead sighed irritably and said, "Nice job, brat. But yes. I did erase his memory, but only for one reason: to make him mine. I see you have decent taste in men, and when I first saw him, I knew that he was perfect. So I simply took away his memory of you, and part two of my mission has yet to be fulfilled."

My head ached so badly right now, and I yelled, "You've gone too far this time!"

Hiro's eyes seemed to have a spark in them, and he asked, "Hey! Wicked Witch of the West! What would it take to restore Francis's memory?"

She frowned at him and answered, "No cost, because I'm not making deals with you two anymore. And, with his memory and the crown of the Mediterranean, both this plan and my life-long dream will be completed."

Hiro rolled his eyes and retorted, "Not on your life, bitch. Eventually, we'll get outta here, kick your sorry ass, and give Arthur the happy ending that _he_ rightfully deserves!"

I shot him a look of panic and hissed, "Don't say that, you git!"

Suddenly, the room shook, and Kaita hollered, "SILENCE!"

Rocks began to fall from the ceiling, and one was falling over Hiro and me.

"Look out!" I called, and he and I rolled to the side to avoid getting hit.

Then, the tremor came to a convenient end, and Kaita continued: "Guards, send them back to their cell, and then check on how the other brat is doing. Let no one stand in my way to stop me."

The sirens from earlier floated above us and grabbed our confinements again, dragging us back down the hallway.

"HEY!" Hiro shouted. "I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU YET! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF US! YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"Shut up already!" I hissed. "Haven't you said enough?"

* * *

So, Francis really did love me, his memory wasn't actually gone at the time, and I'm finding out about this now? Actually, that might have explained what happened earlier that day…

_I flipped open the sketchpad to the first page, pen held firmly in hand, and he asked me, "Where are you from?"_

_I began to neatly write the word "Britain" on the paper in small letters, not wanting to waste any paper. I showed him what I wrote, and he nodded with interest._

_"Strange," he began, "I think I once knew somebody from there, but I can't recall who it was."_

_The way he said it made me think he was hiding something, but I'll take care of that later. I shifted on the couch and lied on my side. I grabbed the pen and sketchpad and wrote down "I'm going to get some rest." I handed him the object, and he held it in front of his view._

_After reading it, he stated, "But I haven't even asked you for your name yet."_

_My eyes closed, and I thought that I'd be able to get some actual sleep for once._

_However, my eyes quickly snapped open as I felt a pair of lips kiss the side of my head, whispering, "Sweet dreams."_

I'm such a damn idiot for never fully understanding at the time. I'm usually not as oblivious as I was during that moment, but it's probably too late to fix my mistakes now. And then…the moment after that…

_Finally, the door opened, and I came face-to-face with Francis. He just stared at me and asked, "Can I help you?"_

It all makes perfect sense now… Even though there are more questions that have yet to be answered, I can't handle any of the information that was thrown at me so suddenly, especially at a moment like this. But there has to be some way to retrieve his memory; save Hiro, Kai, and her crown, _and_ manage to defeat Kaita without meeting my own demise. If we've gotten this far, I'm sure we can go further.

I turned my head and looked over my shoulder, seeing that Hiro was already asleep behind me as we lay on the ground. As much as I wanted to discuss our next plan, I don't want to disturb his much-needed rest—God knows how long we've been down here—, so I let him be for now. Maybe I should sleep also to pass the time. And then, once we're both awake, we might be able to come up with our next move.

* * *

I haven't slept at all. I can't even remember the last time I ate something, so maybe that's what kept me up. My stomach ached so much that I didn't even want to move from my spot. The area seemed a bit brighter than earlier, but it was still rather dark. A siren stopped in front of the cell door with a tray and dumped its content onto the floor inside. What the hell is this?

She noticed how I was staring at the rotting fish carcass in front of me, and she said, "Eat. You're lucky that the mistress doesn't let you starve to death in your cell."

I'd rather starve to death than eat that. I don't care what everyone else back home says; my cooking is _way better_ than this.

"I refuse to eat this garbage," I stated, and she glared at me.

"Then starve," she suggested crossly. "See if I care."  
After saying that, she swam off, and I sighed.

"She can't seriously expect us to eat this," I muttered.

I looked over my shoulder and saw that Hiro was starting to wake up. "Something smells gross…" he mumbled, and he looked around the room until his gaze fell upon the "food."

His face seemed to change to a look of disgust, and he whined, "Ew, are you kidding me?"

At least I'm not the only one who thinks that— "She's seriously making us eat this crap _raw_? No way, man."

I mentally face-palmed and asked, "Really? That's all you're worried about? I wouldn't eat this if it _was_ raw or not."

Hiro rolled his eyes and replied, "Dude, don't be such a big baby. It just needs to be heated up in some steam, and then it's all good. Poke it to see if it's warm enough."  
My eye twitched slightly as the odor began to enter my nose, and I retorted, "You poke it. I'm not going anywhere near that."

He sighed and muttered, "Fine, roll away from it and stop when I'm in front of it."

With what was left of my strength, I pushed as hard as I could until both of our bodies rolled over halfway, and he said, "Good. Now if I could just…"

He tried to pull himself closer, and then I heard him mutter obscenities irritably.

"No good, huh?" I asked, and he sighed.

"Yep," he answered. "We're definitely not eating this…"

Great, that's just great. We have to come up with an escape plan and fast!

"Hiro," I began, "I don't suppose you have any ideas of how we're going to get out of here, do you?"

Hiro looked like he was deep in thought, until he finally answered, "Well, first, we'd need something sharp to cut this damn rope. Hopefully, no one's around here. If they found out our plan, we'd be screwed."

I nodded and looked around the prison cell. I couldn't really see anything that appeared sharp. And the rope was tied around us too tightly, so we couldn't easily slip out of it if we tried. Damn it. We were officially stuck.

"Hello, I'm still here!" a voice angrily stated.

I looked up and noticed that one of my fairies returned again.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," I apologized, but she continued to glare at us.

Crossing her arms, the little fairy sighed and said, "You know, I may not be able to help you guys get out of here, but I can at least do something as simple as untying you."

Hiro looked over his shoulder and stared at me, whispering, "She's talking to _you_…"

I rolled my eyes and asked the fairy, "Well, if you're still up for it, can you please help us out here?"

She muttered something that I couldn't quite hear, and she irritably answered, "All right, fine."

She flew down toward the rope's surface and searched for the knot. Once she had found it, which I'm assuming she did, Hiro started laughing out of nowhere and begging, "Stop, that tickles!"

I quickly shushed him and hissed, "Do you want us to get caught?"

Then, he tried to remain silent.

As she attempted to untie us, I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to Kai and Francis. They wouldn't be dragged into this mess if I hadn't have stuck my nose in Kai's business. And magic did get involved too, which had to have been my biggest mistake in this whole thing. I sighed. For once, I actually want to say that it was my fault. If I could fix this situation so that it never happened, both of them know that I would try to do it. But, at this point, I won't be able to for a long time. Who knew that I could cause them so much trouble in just two or three days?

* * *

_Francis was sitting in a cell somewhere dark and cold, just beginning to wake up from what he thought was simply a confusing dream of his. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was wrong._

_"How am I even breathing?" he thought, feeling his heart pound quickly in his chest_

_ Memories of the boy he saw earlier occurred to him, and he frowned. "Why do I get this feeling that he's behind all of this?" he wondered, his back slouched from exhaustion._

_"Don't blame Arthur for this," a girl's voice stated, as if reading his mind._

_His eye's bulged, and his head automatically turned to the direction that the voice came from. Sitting next to him was a mermaid with long, bright blue hair and eyes the color of grass during the season of spring._

_"I didn't even say anything," Francis stated with a perplexed tone in his voice._

_The mermaid sighed and explained, "Never mind that now. We have bigger problem here. Arthur and Hiro in trouble, and if something happen to them, then it can have a strong negative effect on us."_

_Francis blinked a few times and thought, "Arthur… Arthur… Why does the name suddenly sound so familiar to me? I don't know anyone by that name, but it's starting to bug me now."  
_

_Francis has to remember Arthur!" the mermaid cried._

_The blond cringed slightly and asked, "W-What are you talking about?"_

_The blue-haired creature appeared completely distraught as she stated, "I know it may seem out of place for me to say, but… Arthur really loves Francis. Right now, Francis is under a spell so that he forget Arthur completely. Hiro and I tried to fix this, but, well, obviously we can't do anything to repair the damage that I know I caused."_

_The information was a bit too much to take in for Francis. How could something so incredible and unbelievable actually happen to them?_

_"I don't want to hear any more of this right now," the blond man stated. "I need some time to think it through…"_

* * *

**I am so done tonight! Well, I hope you liked it, 'cause I certainly did not :P Please review!**


	7. The Escape

**Hello again. I've been looking over the past six chapters, and when I get the chance, I'll try to edit them as much as I can. Anyway, it's been a while since I've last updated this story, so please don't kill me if my delays annoy you. (I'm always busy, so I barely get the chance to update.)**

**You guys probably don't waste your time reading this part, so I'm just gonna get to the chapter now. Hope you guys like it!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. It felt like hours since I've been awake, but I noticed that something was happening, and it was definitely not good. I turned to my side and saw that Hiro was no longer there. But somehow, and I don't know how, he was outside of the cell, and after I was fully awake, I realized that the ground was shaking. "Arthur, are you awake?" Hiro asked, panic evident in his tone. "We have to find the others and get out of here _now_!"

The cell door was open. I'll be sure to ask him how he escaped after this is over. But once I was out, I noticed that we were the only ones here; Kaita and her slaves had vanished. Hiro pulled my arm and led me down the seemingly endless hall. "Come on, we don't have much time left!"

And so, I ended up following him. But the place was too enormous, and there were so many paths we could take—it was too hard to tell which way to turn. The tremor became more violent, and a deep fissure formed above us. We weren't going to make it. "They have to be around here somewhere," Hiro was telling himself over and over, up to the point where he sounded like a broken record.

"Kai!" I called. No answer. Then I tried again, but there was still no response. Only God knows whether she was alive or not. "This is all my fault!"

Hiro clutched my shoulder and, over the loud roar of the quake, yelled, "No it's not! Stop putting yourself down for this! It's more my fault than it is yours! Now come on!"

We swam faster. Our chances seemed to grow thinner than we had hoped. "Kai!" I shouted. "Francis! Where are you!"

Suddenly, there was a faint scream from around the corner, and we stopped. "Down this way!" Hiro said, pointing in the direction of the sound. Quickly, we moved that way.

However, all my doubts faded once we found them unharmed. "Arthur!" Kai shouted when she saw us. Hiro managed to break the lock on the cell door, and we hurried inside. Francis wasn't moving, but Kai seemed okay. Hiro led her out, and I carried Francis and followed them.

* * *

"Troya and her slaves got out before they could get trapped inside," Kai was telling us as we hurried to shore. "It was Troya who caused the quake, and if it grows worse, it will eventually become a powerful tsunami and destroy everything it comes into contact with."

I smiled a bit. I noticed how her English was gradually improving, and it amazed me. But then my attention returned to the matter at hand. I looked down at Francis. He was still breathing—thank God for that—but what will happen when he wakes up? Will he still forget who I am?

"But how are we going to stop Troya?" Hiro asked. "We're not strong enough, and Arthur still can't use his magic."

I quickly glanced behind us; the cave was already in ruins and was no longer a towering structure like it used to be. Dot, the little fairy who had accompanied us on this daring journey, was no longer here, and it worried me. What has become of her?

There was a small ache in my chest, but I knew we were almost at the surface. We can make it. Just a little further. But she was a fairy; I'm sure that, wherever she is, she's still alive, and will find her way to where we are.

"We're here!" Kai exclaimed, and I looked up. We broke through the surface, and I sighed. Oh, how I missed you, fresh air.

* * *

"How about you do what everyone does in those old fairy tales?" Hiro asked. "Just kiss him."

I glared at him as we sat there on the sand. "I'm _not_ kissing him!" I stated. "What if he wakes up and notices?"

Kai and Hiro exchanged glances, and Hiro replied, "Well, don't you _want_ him to wake up? And besides, the whole point of this entire trip was to bring you two together."

I sighed. I couldn't argue with him about that. He had a point, and there was no use fussing over it. I looked down at Francis as he lied there on the sand. I closed my eyes tightly. Slowly, with some hesitation in my movement, I leant forward and placed a kiss on his lips. The very feeling of this kind of contact was strange, but there was something to it that I couldn't understand.

"Dude, I think he's waking up!" Hiro whispered rather happily, and I sat up straight, hoping he was right.

Sure enough, I saw his eyelids flutter open, and he looked up at us...stupid fairy tales. He then stared at me, but there was something in his facial expression that concerned me. It almost looked like he had realized something, almost surprised. "...Arthur, what's going on?" he groaned, sitting up and scratching the back of his head.

Kai cheered and asked, "Francis remembers now?"

Everything felt different at that moment. I felt some self-assurance, and an aching sensation returned to my chest, as if it were my heart being mended together again. "Francis?" I asked, my voice sounding a bit hoarse.

I lost control of my actions. My arms reached out, and I held him close. The feeling of his arms wrapping around me helped me to know that he remembered who I was, and that was all I needed to know.

* * *

_"We've almost reached the completion of our plan," Troya informed her servants as they stood there before the waves in their human forms. "But in the end, I've found no use in that man; I was right in leaving him there to die with the others. Soon, I will have fulfilled my dream of ruling the Mediterranean, and eventually wiping out Cascadia and all those who attempt to stand in my way."_

_"My lady," one of the servants said, a young girl with fair olive skin and long brown locks of hair. "What do we do if our plans are successful?"_

_Troya turned to the girl and answered, "Do you have doubt in me? Just follow my orders, and I guarantee that we won't fail this. By now, Kai should be dead, and Arthur will have been forgotten by those who know him, along with that brat and Francis."_

_Another servant, a girl with tan skin and blue eyes that matched her hair, stepped forward and explained, "My lady, I hate to bother you, but...are you sure that eliminating Arthur's lover was a smart maneuver?"_

_The woman glared at her and informed her, "They weren't lovers to begin with, and they won't be once they're gone. But why do you ask me such a question?"_

_"My apologies, your majesty, i-it's just that...there was something...off about him."_

_Troya raised an eyebrow at her servant and asked, "How so—"_

_"My lady!" another servant exclaimed, bright hazel eyes shining fiercely. She stepped out of the waves and hurried to her mistress. "I have just returned from what remains of your palace—they're not there; they managed to get out!"_

_"How could they have escaped?"_

_"I don't know, your highness! But the others and I looked everywhere for them; they're gone."_

_Troya turned to three of her guards, three young men with dark hair and dull, soulless eyes. "I'm counting on you three to go and find them," she told them. "Then, we'll finish them off."_

_Meanwhile, somewhere in the near distance, Dot, the little fairy who had aided Hiro and Arthur, overheard their conversation. "I have to warn them!" she thought worriedly, and she flew off to the other side of the beach, miles from where Troya stood._

* * *

It was already evening, and at this point, my legs had returned again. The only thing that kept us warm was a small fire. Everything was going to change once this ended, whether we succeed in stopping Kaita or not. I turned to Francis. He was staring intensely at the burning flames, his expression grim. Kai and Hiro were asleep on the other side of the fire. They need their rest. I looked at Francis again and asked, "So do you?"

He looked back at me and replied, "Do I what?"

"Do you really remember me? And...what Kai and Hiro said, was it true?"

He sighed and answered, "My memory is slowly coming back, but yes, I remember. And yes, they weren't lying to you; there was no spell. If anything, I was just as much involved in this plan as they were."

I stood up and kept my back facing him. I felt a bit humiliated. I was completely embarrassed about the fact that he knew how I felt toward him. "I hate you so much right now," I told him, my arms crossed as I kept my gaze away from his face.

"That's not what Kai told me."

I turned my head. "Then why couldn't you have just told me at the beginning before we even got ourselves into this mess?" I asked him, my voice slightly cracking in mid-sentence. "Was it really worth all the trouble? How do I know whether I should believe you or not, especially what you said before I ran off that day?"

Francis stared at me for a moment, and I saw a bit of guilt in his eyes. I should have just kept my mouth shut.

He stood up and grabbed my arm gently. Next thing I knew, his lips were on mine, and he was holding me so close.

"Does this answer your question?"

* * *

**AND THAT'S IT FOR THIS CHAPTER! I know I've probably said this a million times already (so I probably sound like an ass for saying it), but I'll _try_ to get the next chapter up as soon as I can! Hope you enjoyed this one!**

**Oh yeah, as for my other fanfic, I'll try to finish that too! I'm not giving up on it yet!**


	8. Determining Our Fate

**It's been a while since I've last updated this. It might be a short story, but I'll try to put in as much as I can, and maybe I'll add a little smut at the end for you guys. I dunno, we'll just see how this goes. Anyway, I've finally finished chapter eight, so I hope you guys like it (you're probably not reading this part anyway, so just skip to the chapter lol)**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

I couldn't sleep anymore. I kept having these awful dreams that just wouldn't leave me alone. When I woke up, the sun was already beginning to rise. Dawn had arrived at last.

I looked behind and saw that the others were still sleeping. Everything looked so calm, even though we might not see a day like this again.

Suddenly, I heard a light panting from up ahead. "Arthur!" a faint voice called, and I stood up. Looking into the distance, I saw Dot flying toward us; she was alive. "Arthur, I have terrible news to tell you," she told me once she reached my spot. "Troya is already on land with her servants. They're going to capture Cascadia and assassinate her. Troya already knows that you and the others escaped her palace! You have to do something!"

"…I understand," I managed to say. But I really couldn't. I honestly have no hope left for us. Still, I couldn't just give up now.

"I ran into her earlier before I reached land," Dot continued. "She wants to give you this as protection―" she flew down to the sand and traced a sword into the ground. Suddenly, the image became real: a dagger with a long, sharp blade and decorated with fine aquamarines and pearls. Bending down, I picked up the ornate weapon and held it firmly in my hand. "Cascadia said that it was used to defeat Troya years and years ago. She also wanted you to have this—" she reached into her pouch and pulled out what almost looked like my wand. However, mine had been stained and dirtied with all sorts of things. The one Dot was handing me was constructed from pure bronze with emerald stones decorating its surface, and its shape was similar to a tree branch. "Of course, I will be accompanying you during this war, but still, my magic is not strong enough against a siren."

I nodded and said, "Thanks anyway. We can use all the help we can get."

When Dot disappeared from sight, I turned around and stared at the others. They were still sleeping. I bent down and nudged Francis's shoulder, hoping he would wake up. When he did, I told him, "We don't have much time left. We need to get moving before Troya finds out that she didn't kill us."

Francis sat up and noticed the weapons in my hands. "Where did you get those?" he asked in amazement.

"Never mind that now," I answered, handing him the sword. "We have to wake up Kai and Hiro."

* * *

_"Don't do this," Cascadia begged, trapped inside of a sturdy cage standing before Troya and her servants. "The crown does not belong to you. Kai shall be crowned the queen of the Mediterranean Sea, and you shall be punished for your attempts to take her place."_

_"Silence!" Troya ordered. Cascadia fell silent in response, sitting there in fear as the redhead walked closer. Troya bent down and took out a knife from her pouch. Grasping a thick strand of Cascadia's golden locks, she swiftly cut it with the blade. The hair gradually turned a disgusting brown color in her hand, and she let the hair slip from her palm and drift away with the wind. "Don't think you can defeat me so easily like you had last time," she told the blonde, "because this time, it will be you who will beg for mercy, not I."_

_Cascadia's eyes tore up slightly at the sight of the sliced tips of her hair, its color fading into an ugly shade of tan. In her mind, she desperately hoped that Kai and the others were safe. To see such a young heiress to the thrown murdered, she just could not bear it._

* * *

"My legs hurt!" Hiro whined as we were barely halfway through our trek along the shore.

Francis leant down and whispered to me, "Does he always complain this much?"

I sighed and retorted, "Oh, and like _you're_ any better?"

We heard Kai giggle behind us, but I kept walking anyway, even though my legs were close to giving out, as well. The sun was already above the horizon, and the sky was turning a bright blue color. God knows how long we've been walking…

I firmly gripped the wand in my hand as I stared down at the sword I gave to Francis. Hopefully, his fencing lessons will be of use to us. Still, I almost lost him once… I can't risk losing him again.

"Are you still tired?" he suddenly asked, and my face felt hot as I lost my train of thought. All I could manage was a nod, something preventing my lips from letting sound escape from my mouth. He seemed to smirk as he suggested, "I can carry you."

I looked down and was finally able to say, "You don't need to waste your strength on me, frog…" I don't care if my legs were gradually growing sore by the second. I don't care if it's the only way he can pay me back for saving him from that prison. I don't even care if it's because he loves me or not. If he squandered all of his strength carrying me the rest of the way, we would surely fail, and I would have to pay the price of losing him. Nothing would be the same if he was gone from my life.

Yet, I can't help but feel guilty for the way I answered him, and I grumbled, "Sorry…"

Francis smiled a little and got down on one knee, causing the others, including myself, to stop in our tracks. "Get on," he said. And hesitantly, I obeyed.

Swiftly, he stood up straight with me on his back, and I held on for dear life. He's grown stronger since he's last carried me like this, but that was almost fifteen years ago when we were merely children.

* * *

_Four-year-old Arthur sat below an old oak tree crying, clutching his ankle as tears streamed down his damp, reddened cheeks. Francis, who had turned seven three days prior, found him sitting there, and he could not help but feel concerned for him. Walking toward the tree, he knelt down before Arthur and asked, "Why aren't you home? Is something wrong?"_

_Arthur sniffed as he pulled up the leg of his pants and showed Francis his scraped ankle. He was even missing his shoe. "I got lost and tripped," the British boy answered him. The pain was too overwhelming for him to walk on that leg._

_Francis examined it closely, and then he finally stated, "Climb onto my back; I'll carry you home."_

_"But won't I be too heavy to carry?"_

_The French boy laughed lightly and replied, "Nonsense; I can do it. You're practically lighter than a feather."_

_"Not true!" Arthur cried, and he winced as the pain grew more intense._

_Francis sighed and said, "Come on, Arthur; your family's going to wonder what happened to you if you just stay here like this."_

_Arthur reluctantly did as he was told and struggled to get onto Francis's back, arms wrapped around the older blond's neck so that he would not fall off. Francis stood up straight and carried Arthur piggy-back to his home. The younger boy buried his head in the crook of Francis's neck and closed his eyes as he held on. "Thank you," he whispered._

* * *

The memory raced around my mind, and it brought an aching sensation to my chest. I even loved him back when were younger, and my feelings have never changed since then. Without realizing, the words "I love you" slipped out of my mouth, and I blushed wildly as Francis turned his head to face me.

He seemed to be rather pleased with my unintentional statement, and he whispered, "Je t'aime aussi, mon petit lapin." He always called me his little rabbit, but he never told me why. I don't need an explanation for it, though. I already know the reason.

"Oh no," I heard Kai say from behind us, and we looked up. The sky was growing dark; thunder clouds were beginning to roll in, a sign of an impending rainstorm. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

Hiro looked forward and stated, "We might be getting closer…either that, or she knows we're not dead."

"That's because she does know," I stated bitterly. "Dot said that she is aware of our escape."

"What's that in the distance?" Francis asked, squinting as he stared across the shore. I looked in the same direction. There was something heading this way towards us. When it was clear enough, I screamed, "Go left! GO LEFT!"

Francis carried me toward the bushes, and Kai managed to grab Hiro's hand and follow us. We heard a _thud _as we hid behind the trees and shrubs, and I peered over the leaves. Resting on the sand was a spear, almost as tall as me. Someone was intending to kill us. Troya must have already sent one of her servants to make sure we were dead.

"Ow, my foot," Kai hissed, and I looked down. Her ankle had a dark red line on it, blood slowly seeping from it. "I think it scratched me."

Hiro tore off a cloth from his T-shirt and firmly wrapped it around her ankle. "Here," he said, tying it in a knot, "this should stop the bleeding." I smiled weakly at him. It was clear that he still liked her.

Francis got up slowly and stated, "We can't hide here too long. Eventually, they're going to find us."

"The frog has a point," I said uneasily. "But she has servants aiming to assassinate us. How are we going to get past them?"

Kai paused for a moment, and she answered, "Cascadia taught me a trick a few years ago. Here, let me show you." She extended her hand toward my wand, and I gave it to her rather uneasily. What does she have in mind? Then, I heard her whisper something that I could barely translate; she was speaking in a completely foreign language.

I noticed that Hiro was giving me a strange stare as she mumbled to herself, and he finally stated, "Dude, your eyebrows thinned out!"

I looked at him curiously, wondering what the bloody hell he was talking about. So, I carefully felt my forehead and noticed the difference in the shape of my brows.

"Your hair turned black, also," Francis added.

When Kai finished her spell, she explained, "It's a spell that disguises the subject for at least an hour or two. Watch this."

Her hair changed from blue to black, and her skin seemed to pale. Hiro's hair turned a dark brown, and his eyes faded into a deep blue. "We can only do it without the use of magic because we're adapted to it," Hiro stated. "Now, we just need to disguise Francis."

* * *

We walked back on our route afterwards. Our two hours were almost over, so we have to make this trip quick before we get caught.

Once more, Francis insisted on carrying me. I honestly don't understand why he made such a fuss over it, but I decided not to argue and let him have his way. By now it was the afternoon. I was already beginning to think we were too late, until we finally noticed a familiar red-haired woman standing before a wooden cage, carrying what appeared to be Cascadia.

"Oh no…" Kai mumbled, and she ran forward. Hiro went to stop her, but Kaita noticed her and ordered her servants to seize her. Jumping off of Francis's back, I whipped out the wand and whispered a spell I memorized a while ago, my arm extended toward the guards.

There was a sudden tremor below us, and tall, enormous vines shot up from the ground, grasping Kaita's servants and holding them up in the air.

Hiro stared up at them in amazement and exclaimed, "Awesome!"

"Don't just stand there," Kaita yelled at the others; "get them!"

Kai had already reached Cascadia and was attempting to break the lock on the door. In the meantime, Hiro, Francis, and I tried to stall Kaita with as much effort as we could. But there were so many armed servants running toward us; we were completely outnumbered.

One of them firmly clutched her sword and started to attack Francis. He was fighting back with great agility, but I was still afraid that he would lose. With my wand, I aimed at her and watched as she suddenly turned to ice. The frozen crystals enveloping her soon cracked and broke into small fragments on the sand, and so did she. Francis turned his head and nodded at me, as if signifying his thanks. Then, he ran forward for another one of the servants.

Hiro was slashing at one of Kaita's men with a golden dagger. He managed to slice the man's arm, and a burn mark was visible on his skin.

Kai was still attempting to break the lock, but her methods practically seemed useless. We just need to prolong this distraction, buy her enough time to free Cascadia. As I watched her, I didn't notice one of the guards running toward me with his sword, his arm held back and quickly swinging at me. I realized a little too late, though, as I staggered back a few steps. He managed to cut my waist, leaving a deep gash in my side, and I fell onto the sand. Francis must have seen what happened, because he began to violently swing his sword at the guard, muttering curses under his breath.

Blood began to pour from the wound, and I clutched it firmly with one hand, holding the bronze wand in the other. As more men ran closer to us, I weakly held up my only weapon and spoke one last spell, one that I have been trying to remember for so long.

Suddenly, a large tsunami occurred in the east and came rushing toward us. I managed to stand up and hurry for Francis, dragging him to one of the palm trees and holding on tightly. Hiro and Kai followed us, and they watched as the servants were dragged off to the sea. The wave didn't go too far; it only covered the sand and most of the trees near it.

I coughed roughly to get the salt water out of my lungs, my wand trapped in my tight grasp. I winced and noticed that Francis's arm was around my waist, and I lightly shoved him away. "Are you all right?" he asked with concern.

"I'm fine," I told him instantly. "We're not done yet, though."

Kaita stepped forward as we emerged from the trees, and she grumbled, "I should have known that those weaklings would fail me so easily."

Francis grabbed my shoulder and hissed, "You can't keep fighting. You need to find a way to stop the bleeding!"

"I said I'm fine!" I argued, and I shrugged him off. Wand at my side, I yelled to Kaita, "When will you give up this whole scheme of yours?"

She glared at me and answered, "Don't be so confident in yourself. I won't be beaten so quickly like those idiots."

Arms extended outward, she sent a field of flames encircling us. The air surrounding us grew hotter, and I could feel sweat form on my forehead. This was it. This was going to determine our fate.


End file.
